Part 13 - The Art of Habit Automation: Your Shortcut to Consistency (2024)

Welcome to a 33-day journey to transform your habits and unlock your potential. Each day, we'll explore the fascinating world of habits, drawing insights from James Clear's "Atomic Habits," Bob Proctor's wisdom, and Maxwell Maltz's expertise. You'll discover the science behind habit formation, learn how habits can be changed, and understand why cultivating good habits is crucial for success.

By following this 33-day journey, you'll empower yourself with the knowledge, tools, and inspiration you need to understand, change, and harness the power of habits for a more successful and fulfilling life. Not to mention that at the end of this sequence, on the 8th October, a 5 Day Challenge will start that will enable you to take this knowledge and start building new, productive habits that will see your whole life change for the better!

And, (yes there is more!) at the end of the challenge is a 2 hour workshop which brings all this information together to give you the fool proof blueprint to creating new habits whenever you choose to. All you need to bring is an open mind and a willingness to change those unproductive, bad habits (we all have them!) to boost your success and live a more productive and fulfilling life that you are in control of.

Let's dive into today’s topic!

The Art of Habit Automation: Your Shortcut to Consistency

Welcome to Day 13 of our habit transformation journey. Today, we explore the powerful concept of habit automation. We'll discuss why making habits automatic is crucial, provide techniques to achieve it, and share real-world examples of automated habits.

Join us in uncovering the key to consistent and effortless habit formation.

The Significance of Habit Automation

Understanding the significance of habit automation is crucial for successful habit form and there are a few skills you can hone to give yourself the best chance of automating your habits.

Consistency plays a fundamental role in habit building. When habits become automatic, they are executed consistently and effortlessly. So to form automatic and consistent habits, you must be consistent when you are building them. This consistency forms the solid foundation upon which lasting habits are built.

One of the key benefits of habit automation is the reduction of decision fatigue. This occurs because automated habits don't require conscious decision-making each time you need to perform them. As a result, you conserve valuable mental energy that can be directed towards more substantial choices and tasks. If you have decided in advance that you are not having a piece of cake on certain days of the week, when it comes to making the decision when you are offered cake on those days you can easily say no thank you.

Efficiency is another compelling reason to automate your habits. When your routines are streamlined through automation, you complete tasks more quickly and with minimal effort. This efficiency not only saves time but also makes it easier to maintain and reinforce your habits. This efficiency and automation also frees up your conscious mind to solve other problems or focus on other things.

In essence, habit automation simplifies your daily life by ensuring that your desired behaviours are performed consistently, without the burden of constant decision-making, and with enhanced efficiency. It's the secret to making habit formation more manageable and sustainable.

Strategies for Achieving Habit Automation

Achieving habit automation is a transformative step in your journey towards a more productive and efficient life. Here are some strategies to help you make your desired habits automatic:

1. Gradual Progress: It's essential to start small when aiming to automate your habits. Attempting to automate too many habits at once can be overwhelming and counterproductive. Instead, focus on one habit at a time. By concentrating your efforts, you'll increase the likelihood of success and reduce the time it takes to create a new automatic habit.
2. Utilise Trigger Points: The power of habit automation lies in associating your desired behaviour with specific cues or trigger points in your daily routine. For instance, if your goal is to automate the habit of flossing, connect it with the act of brushing your teeth. This natural pairing serves as a reminder and reinforces the habit. Over time, the connection between the cue and the habit becomes ingrained in your daily routine.
3. Embrace Consistency: Consistency is the linchpin of habit automation. To make a habit automatic, perform it consistently at the same time and in the same context. Repetition is the key to reinforcing automation. Establish a dedicated time and space for your habit, and adhere to it diligently. Over time, this consistency transforms your desired behaviour into an automatic response. Ever wondered how you developed that habit of hitting snooze 5 times??
4. Leverage Technology: In today's digital age, technology can be a valuable ally in your quest for habit automation. Take advantage of tools and applications designed to support your efforts. Calendar reminders can serve as daily prompts for your habits, habit-tracking apps provide progress insights and accountability, and smart home devices can automate elements of your routine, such as adjusting the thermostat at a specific time. These technological aids can streamline the process of habit automation and make it more manageable.

By trying these strategies, you can gradually transition your desired behaviours from conscious efforts to automatic routines. Remember, habit automation is a journey that requires patience and persistence, but the rewards in terms of improved efficiency and productivity are well worth the effort. These strategies might not all work for you, but it is worth giving each one a good go and then working out what works best for you.

Real-World Examples of Automated Habits

Humans like to take the path of least resistance and are also creatures of habit. If you look at the habit of making a cup of tea in the morning (for most adult Brits at least!), there will be a set routine that each person goes through to make the tea. Some will heat the cup or teapot first. Some will brew their tea in a cup while others use a teapot. Some people put the milk in first, others the hot water, others the sugar. Everyone will have a subtly different way of brewing their tea, and there is nothing to say that there is any specific right way to do it, that makes a cup of tea any better than anyone else’s method. Its down to personal preference.

All automated habits are down to personal preference! We are all unique in our humanness and as such have a unique combination of habits each made up of unique routines that work for us. So, while this sequence of content is all about habits, and gives lots of hints and ideas on how to create good, productive habits, every person who reads these articles will respond in a different way and create a different group of habits to everyone else.

Let's explore some everyday habits that people often automate, but that will be automated in an individual way for every single person:

• Morning Routine: Many people have automated their morning routines to minimise decision-making. They follow a set sequence of actions, from brewing coffee to morning stretches. Me personally, I get up at 5:30 (most days!), toilet, check notifications, yoga, study, make lunches, post my morning quotes, wake my daughter up, get dressed, have breakfast.
• Exercise: Regular gym-goers often automate their workout schedules, attending the gym at the same time each day or on specific days of the week. I go every Tuesday evening to the gym, and do yoga every morning.
• Meal Planning: Meal prep and planning are automated habits for those who want to maintain a healthy diet. They set aside time each week to plan meals and prepare ingredients. We have a set menu that we decide on on a Friday evening, I shop Saturday, and we then already have the plan for the week so there’s no need to fall back on unhealthy options when we can’t be bothered to cook or decide what to have.

These are just three examples of habits that can be automated, but there are thousands more! Your route to work, bedtime routines, daily reading, work schedules, personal grooming, etc. As I mentioned above, you must find routines and habits that work for you and your life. You can try to follow other people’s routines, but if it doesn’t feel right then test and adjust until you find what works for you.

What Do You Think?

Habit automation is the key to consistent and effortless habit formation. By making your habits automatic, you ensure they become an integral part of your daily life. Start small, use triggers, and stay consistent, and you'll discover the power of automation in transforming your habits and, ultimately, your life.

It is day 14 tomorrow in this sequence about habits, and we’ll be discussing the Plateau Effect. Want to know more? Tune in tomorrow!

If this article resonates with you and you want to discuss this further, then get in touch today. Either here or through any of my social medias or schedule a call to discuss it with me directly.

I also want to remind you about my next 5 Day Challenge and Workshop which finish off these daily pieces of content.

The challenge will start on the 8th October and the workshop is on the 14th October and both will help you to start putting all the information from these posts into useable approaches that enable you to make the changes you need to reach the life you want to live.

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

To your success,

Jaiye